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Jayson Tatum’s dagger vs. Cavs is a Celtics championship message to rest of NBA
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- Jayson Tatum’s dagger vs. Cavs is a Celtics championship message to rest of NBA
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The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted the Boston Celtics for a Sunday afternoon primetime matchup in the Eastern Conference.
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The Celtics controlled the game from start to finish, really, outside of an early 8-point lead by the Cavaliers. The Celtics would storm back quickly and end up taking a 26-point lead in the third quarter. Jaylen Brown , Jayson Tatum , and Payton Pritchard would not allow the Cavs to come from behind and win the game. The Celtics would hold on for a 109-98 win as Cleveland would do all they could to come back.
The Celtics are now 43-21 in the East, and the Cavs are 39-25, four games back and two games back of the New York Knicks . The C's are now only three games back of the Detroit Pistons , who take on the Miami Heat on the road later on Sunday.
The star of the game for the Celtics was Brown and his 23 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in the win. Brown is having one of the best seasons in Celtics history, and could be an MVP candidate by the end of the season.
In 27 minutes, Tatum scored 20 points on 6-16 shooting with three rebounds and two assists. The returning superstar scored 12 points in the first quarter to give himself and the team a lot of confidence for that crucial contest. The Celtics are 3-0 against Cleveland this season, and won the season series, giving them a playoff tiebreaker over the Cavs if needed.
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Tatum hit a dagger triple late in the 4th quarter to secure a win for the Celtics. The Cavs were not going out quietly, and the Celtics needed to hit a few more shots to hold on.
With JT back, hitting shots like that, the league may be in trouble. This Celtics team has been the better team in the Eastern Conference since 2021, and they have more experience than anyone in the East. Paul Pierce thinks his former Celtics will win the East this season with Tatum back.
"He's back," Pierce said in a singsong voice while recording Tatum's postgame interview. "The East is in trouble, y'all better watch out because here we come. Let's get it."
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The injury to Nikola Vucevic is tough , but he will be back before the playoffs begin. This Celtics team is very deep with Tatum back, and as mentioned above, the experience will pay dividends.
The Celtics have owned the Cavs all season, and even though Cleveland will be a threat in the playoffs, they have shown no signs of being able to beat Boston in a 7-game series. The Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks are the only two real threats to the Celtics this season. If Boston is able to continue to build on what it has, it could even pass the Pistons in the standings and steal home-court advantage from them. If Detroit loses to Miami on Sunday, the Celtics would be just 2.5 games back of the East leaders.
This team will have two more major tests next week against the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road. If the Celtics manage to win one of those two games, then you can consider that a win for their mini road trip. If Boston wins both of those games, then their NBA Finals odds will skyrocket. The C's are already clear favorites to win the East on every sportsbook.
If you continue to doubt this Celtics team, then you may want to think again.
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